This invention concerns pet toys and more particularly a chase toy for dogs in which an object is able to be thrown so that a dog may run down and fetch the toy.
Many dogs have an abundance of energy and merely throwing a ball or stick for a short distance does not provide sufficient challenge or exercise and may be tedious and tiresome for the pet owner. There has been heretofore devised a launcher for a ball which increases the distance a ball can be thrown for this purpose, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,745.
While an advance over simply throwing a ball, the rolling of the ball is retarded by backspin inherently imparted to the ball by the launcher. Also, the rolling movement is predictable as to not provide great interest in the “chase”.
Disc launchers are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,953,378; 2,493,245; and 3,095,867, but these flat discs are not suitable for dog toys of this nature as they are not easily gripped in a dog's mouth. The launchers are also not convenient to use for this purpose involving a somewhat tricky loading and release of the flat discs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a launcher and chase toy which increases the challenge and interest of both the pet and its owner, is well suited to retrieval by a dog, and is simple to use.